I will be more critical and less hopeful. The permissive-metric-only FPLA has been essentially ready since 2002 and sitting in stasis since 2004. Without a plan, nine more years will make no difference. With a plan, it would have been passed and in effect.
It in no way had to wait for the modification of the EU directive. It should have been passed before in anticipation the EU directive would not change. Those who oppose metric have bought at least 19 more years, nine before the EU looks again, then if they pass new legislation, that would be another ten years to take effect, like the previous rules, and they have always blinked before. This sentence may make the EU feel better about blinking again, but it will have zero effect on whether the US modifies the FPLA. What would effect it is enough US citizens holding their politicians to task on the matter. I'm not sure of how to cause that. In the present market, it is a (minor) barrier to entry of imports and many jobless Americans may favor that. It may be easier to wind up Americans on the general metrication issue, by pushing the notion that it greatly increases the difficulty in exporting American goods (although price competitiveness is the bigger issue). ________________________________ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, January 9, 2010 12:01:28 AM Subject: [USMA:46385] Silver lining? Here's what the NIST metric news page says: The EU Metric Directive (80/181/EEC), scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2010, has been modified to allow the continuation of both supplemental (U.S. customary, inch-pound) and metric units for consumer goods sold in the EU. The rule was published on May 7, 2009 in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Directive instructs the European Commission to produce a report to the Parliament and Council regarding the smooth functioning of the internal market and international acceptance of SI units by December 31, 2019, including proposals where appropriate. Demonstrated progress will be important for U.S. stakeholders to achieve long-term acceptance of supplemental units in the EU. Modifying the U.S. Fair Package and Labeling Act (FPLA), which currently requires dual labeling, to permit optional metric labeling is an example where greater international marketplace acceptance of SI units can be achieved. So maybe the silver lining is that the issue is being revisited over the next nine years and there is more impetus to getting the FPLA amended. Let's hope that's what happens at any rate. Ezra
